economic and financial measures, including tariffs, quotas, documentation requirements, etc imposed by some countries to limit the inflow of foreign goods to protect local industries
Trade barriers are government restrictions on the free import or export of merchandise They include tariff and nontariff barriers, which attempt to shelter selected domestic industries from international competition
The United States Trade Representative classifies trade barriers into eight general categories: (1) import policies (tariffs and other import charges, quantitative restrictions, import licensing, and customs barriers); (2) standards, testing, labeling, and certification; (3) government procurement; (4) export subsidies; (5) lack of intellectual property protection; (6) service barriers; (7) investment barriers; and (8) other barriers (e g , barriers encompassing more than one category or barriers affecting a single sector)